Senior Internet Culture & Trends Reporter
An unusual candidate for the new Minnesota state flag has emerged among thousands of entries—a resident's dog.
The image that is spreading some serious joy was submitted among others for the State Emblems Redesign Commission, responsible for overhauling both the state flag and seal.
Allison Ortiz, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Historical Society, shed light on the ambitious redesign initiative and told Newsweek: "The 2023 Minnesota Legislature created the State Emblems Redesign Commission, tasked with redesigning the state flag and state seal and providing a report by January 1, 2024. The commission must also solicit public feedback and suggestions to inform its work."
Minnesota's state emblem was last changed in 1957. The flag was redesigned in advance of the 1958 state centennial and has been tweaked multiple times since its adoption in 1893.
Submission F156 in the new state flag competition is a photograph of a majestic Labrador retriever standing proudly in a lush, grassy field. The picture was submitted vertically, helping it stand out even further among the entries—and as a result it has gained some serious attention online.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter—with 1.4 million views—user @maxnesterak said: "Love that someone just submitted a vertical picture of their dog to be the next Minnesota state flag."
"I hope it wins," said one reply to the viral post.
The submission period for the redesign closed on October 30, after accepting designs from October 2 onwards.
With the submissions closed, the next phase involves the commission members selecting the top 25 designs for both the state flag and seal. A subsequent meeting, scheduled for later this month, will further narrow down the selections to the final five contenders.
While the person who submitted the dog photograph remains anonymous, the addition of the canine picture has added a touch of humor to the business of redesigning the state's emblems.
The Labrador picture wasn't the only submission to capture attention online, either. Another X user shared submission number F15, which appeared to be a vector drawing of a loon with laser eyes.
The commission's selected flag will officially become the state flag on May 11, 2024.
This isn't the first time a public competition has resulted in humorous responses and submissions. In 2016, an online poll was conducted to name a polar scientific research ship being constructed for the United Kingdom's Natural Environment Research Council (NERC). One name quickly came to the forefront with 124,109 votes—Boaty McBoatface.
The British government decided against the Boaty name, and instead chose to honor the naturalist and broadcaster Sir David Attenborough, naming the ship after him in 2019.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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